Mystifying Paper Osmosis Trick

Pass out the index cards and pens and have each person write a three or four word phrase on it. They should not show anyone else what they wrote.

Everyone folds their card up and places it in a basket on a table next to you. Your accomplice should put his folded paper behind the basket, so the audience can’t see it.

Pick one of the folded cards out of the basket and press it to your forhead. Explain that the words are entering your brain through osmosis.

For the first card, announce a made up phrase and ask who wrote it. Your accomplice should speak up and say “That’s mine!” no matter what you actually said.

Open up the paper like you are verifying it and nod your head like it is correct. Take note of what is written on the paper.

Hold another folded paper up to your head. This time, say the phrase on the paper you just unfolded and read. Ask who wrote it. Since somebody actually wrote the phrase, they should speak up.

Open up the paper you were holding, make note of what is written on it, and continue.

Keep going until all of the papers have been opened. The last paper you pick up should be your accomplices paper from behind the basket. If they notice it was not in the basket, just explain that it must have fallen out. It does not matter what is on the final paper, since you will be saying the phrase from the paper before.

One Response to Mystifying Paper Osmosis Trick

To make it look even better, you can tell your accomplice what to write. Do the trick the same way. Then if they ask to see the pieces of papers, they will match all three phrases you said.

The trick can also be done with cards where you pretend to memorize the whole deck. You just need to memorize 1 (or 2 to be safe) cards. The first card drawn you say as the card you memorized. And you pick the last card (or have an accomplice pick it.)